Saturday, 30 June 2012

Young Agribusiness Team from Massey University Competes in China

Massey University(NZ) had a team competing in the
International Food and Agribusiness Management Association student case
study competition, held in Shanghai,China.

The competition is in its 7th
year and is held in conjunction with the IFAMA annual forum and symposium. The
late"Daniel Conforte" (an inspirational lecturer at Massey University) had a long standing association with IFAMA and at the
opening of the Symposium was made a fellow of IFAMA the highest honour, a well
deserved tribute recognising his passion and contribution to the organisation.

Sending a team to the case study competition had been a dream of Daniels since
his arrival at Massey. This year he was to be co-chair of the competition and
was the author of the case highlighting his dedication to the students and
passion for the case study method of teaching.

The competition this year consisted of 17 teams from 6
countries including: United States, New Zealand, India, Canada, The Netherlands
and China. On Saturday afternoon each team was issued the case: ANZCO
addressing the Chinese market. We then had 5 hours in which to read and analyse
the case and come up with our strategy for ANZCO. On Sunday we presented our
strategy to a panel of 3 judges made up of representatives from industry and
academia. Unfortunately we didn’t make it to the top 4, but it was still a
great experience for us. After watching the 4 teams present in the finals we
decided we had a lot to learn in terms of the ‘wow’ factor of our presentation
and ability to really sell something, but academically we were on par with the
others. All of our feedback from the judges was positive, as were comments from
audience members, which was encouraging.

Nanjing Agricultural University from China took out
the top honours a $500 prize and the offer of an internship for each team
member with Novus international (the main sponsor of the student programme).
Texas A&M University (USA) and University of Guelph (Canada) were 2nd
and 3rd respectively.

As students the opportunity to attend the conference
and experience China 1st hand was amazing. The theme of the
conference was the road to 2050: The China Factor.Key messages were delivered
surrounding sustainability, food safety, food security and investment, so it
was a great chance for us to enhance our understanding of these key areas from
those on the front line of developments. Getting to talk with students,
academics and industry representatives from around the world was pretty
special, as we got to meet the people whose articles we constantly reference
and others who share similar visions. The passion of IFAMA and the industry for
supporting and developing young people in agribusiness is heartening and gives
us confidence that we are in a great industry with a very bright future. They
are willing to invest time and money in us and include us in their thinking to
ensure we learn from past mistakes and continue to move the industry forward.

Outside the formal conference sessions and in the week
following the New Zealand contingent ensured the Kiwi spirit was upheld and shared
with our peers from the other parts of the world. We visited many markets in
Shanghai including a massive Carrefour supermarket and wet markets, experienced
the Bund by day and night, scaled the world financial centre, explored the
Yuyuan gardens and French Concession and of course watched the All Black beat
Ireland! We met with Fonterra in Shanghai and heard from the head of strategy
and growth for China before touring the brand new innovation centre. We got the
bullet train (310 Km/h) to Beijing where we meet with Beef + Lamb and New
Zealand Trade and Enterprise to hear about what was happening with NZ meat in
China. We visited Fonterra’s Yutian Farm and were blow away. As good tourists
we wondered through Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden city and visited Olympic
park to see the birds nest and water cube. We played soccer on the great wall,
explored the Hutongs and meet the Dutch and American’s at the Houhai Lake
area. Everyone had a fantastic time but you know the rules, what goes on tour
stays on tour!(Yeah Right Sarah.....I can see the photos have been carefully selected....not to give away any secrets...Ed.Tom)

If any of you ever get the opportunity
to do something similar, grab it with both hands. It was truly incredible and
mind boggling experience.

This week's blog has been written by guest blogger Sarah Crofoot, a Agribusiness student at Massey University. She was a team member competing in China. Well done Thank you Sarah!

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About Me

Tom Phillips proudly a Kiwi. I'm based at the New Centre of Excellence in Farm Business Management, Massey University, New Zealand.The Centre is a joint project of both Massey & Lincoln Universities. International Low Cost Pasture based Dairy Industry Consultant has worked in New Zealand, Australia, Taiwan, United Kingdom, Ireland & France.Expert in grazing management & dairy farm business management,Onfarm Discussion Group facilitation & training.
I am a strong advocate for pasture based dairy farming partly because it is environmentally & animal friendly with a low carbon footprint but also it creates a profitable strong business which is family friendly.